Recyclable imidazolium ion-tagged nickel catalyst for microwave-assisted C–S cross-coupling in water using sulfonyl hydrazide as the sulfur source

Abstract

Herein, we report the facile and convenient synthesis of aryl sulfides through the sulfenylation of aryl halides with arylsulfonyl hydrazides, which is catalyzed by a simple and water-soluble Ni(II) complex. The nickel complex based on the imidazolium ion-tagged salen architecture is synthesized and well characterized using various analytical techniques. The green solvent water is used as the solvent medium and moderate to good yields of aryl sulfides are obtained using 5 mol% of the catalyst under microwave irradiation. The incorporation of the ion-tag functionality helps in the recycling of the catalyst and successful reuse for up to five runs without appreciable change in its activity.